The Best Laid Plans
by Scriptor of Lacuna
Summary: Even the best laid plans can go awry when Kate, Castle, lasers and love are involved. Post S4.
1. Part I

Disclaimer: All rights to **Castle** belong to Andrew Marlowe and ABC. This is for entertainment purposes only and not for profit.

Dedication: to AC...only a few dragons left then my debt is paid in full :D To all my readers, thank you for your kindness.

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Part I

"Weird is one way to describe it," Kate said as she rubbed the spot between her brow, hoping the sounds of the precinct would start to fade along with her headache.

"_When hasn't Castle fit the definition of weird?"_ Lanie said.

"Not just him." She looked around the office and caught a few warm smiles, some shaking heads, and a couple of thumbs up. "Everyone."

"_You're being paranoid."_

"Am I?" A few fellow officers pointed at her, then quickly looked away.

"_He just misses Alexis."_

Kate looked at the pictures on her desk. She leaned forward and held the one taken in Paris a couple months ago. She, Alexis and Rick all huddled together outside of a bistro under the city lights, making ridiculous faces.

"_Or it could be the book," _Lanie supplied.

The last Nikki Heat book. The bittersweet taste of change lingered in Kate's mind. After it was released, Gates would probably reevaluate his presence, again. Though, a small part of her thought Gates had warmed up to Castle. It had only taken three years.

Kate picked up her pen and started to tap it against the stack of papers on her desk. "Or it could be me. There have been a few cancelled dates."

"_It's definitely you."_

"Lanie!"

"_What? The man loves you. Happiness like that is a distraction." _

"Thanks."

"_Why don't you make up a few of those dates and take this weekend off? Take that writer of yours and tie him up somewhere."_

It had been a busy couple of weeks. Too busy. She just wanted to relax with him, somewhere, anywhere with him. But not this weekend; she had a score to settle.

"I can't this weekend, Alexis is coming home early."

"_All the more reason to take it off. Family time."_

Kate twirled her pen around. "There's also that other thing." The image of Castle shirtless, pants-less and neon lights trailing over his muscles made her breath hitch. He had played to her weakness on that one and had won.

"_I'm surprised you agreed to it." _

"I promised Alexis."

"_And it has nothing to do with the fact that you are having fun?"_

Fun was only a small part of it. "It has more to do with those plans he is hiding from me."

"_Plans?"_

"Always scribbling on them. Plotting away." Kate looked towards the break room and wondered why the blinds were closed.

"_Y-you know about that?"_ Lanie asked with a searching tone.

"Of course I...wait, how do you know about them?" She looked around the office, "Does everybody know?"

"_Know what?"_

"What Castle and I do at home, alone, and in the dark," Kate whispered into the phone.

Lanie was silent for a moment then she let out a laugh of relief, _"I don't think so."_

"They don't have a bet going or anything?"

"_Not on that," _Lanie mumbled.

"Good." The last thing she needed was the entire precinct knowing that even with all her training they were now tied. Kate stood and walked towards the break room, following the smell of coffee and the nagging feeling that Castle was in there.

"_Do me a favour?" _ Lanie asked. _"Think about taking the weekend off."_

"I'll think about it."

"_And Kate?" _ Her voice tittered with excitement.

"What?"

"_My answer is 'yes'." _

"Yes to wha-?"

Lanie hung up and Kate stared at her phone for a moment. No, she wasn't imagining things. There was bet going on and it something to do with her sexy writer.

Kate approached the break room and heard voices. Familiar, conspiring voices. Kate leaned against the break room door, watching three grown men, in the darkened room, huddling over papers on the table.

"She's starting to think all of us are crazy," Ryan whispered.

"I'm going to do it this time," Castle said as he nodded in confidence.

"That's what you said about last night," Esposito said.

"She had to work and-"

"You're scared."

"I'm not scared."

"Riiight. OK. No reason to get blue in the face over it," Esposito said.

"Very funny." Castle ran his fingers through his hair. "She deserves...I want her to have...That's why I need the two of you to-"

"We've got your back and Beckett's," Javi said with emphasis on Beckett's name.

"Are you going to give me the speech again?"

"Do we need to?" Ryan said with a similar emphasis as Esposito's.

"No-no. I'm good. The visual aids you provided were enough."

The two detectives nodded, then Ryan pointed to the papers in front of them. "I think this might be the one."

"I know, right?" Castle had a nervous edge to his voice. "The other ones didn't measure up. This is it." The two detectives gave him a hearty slap on the back. "I'll have her right where I want her."

"Pathetic."

All three men froze. They shuffled the papers towards Castle, then spun around.

"I thought you were in a meeting with Gates," Castle said.

She narrowed her eyes at them. The other two looked at the walls in the break room as if Kate had written riddles on them. Castle stuffed the papers in his back pocket.

Kate crossed her arms. The smell of coffee started to freeze in the air.

All three men shared a look. Castle's face paled. The two detectives moved away from the writer.

"Don't we have that..." Esposito said.

"Right. That case solving thing..." Ryan answered.

Both men scurried out of the room, but gave her warm, brotherly looks as they went. They had been doing that for weeks.

Kate looked at Castle again. He had plastered an innocent look on his face, so she gestured to the papers in his hand. "You really thought you'd get away with it?"

"Yes?"

She stalked towards him and poked him in the shoulder. "I know about the bet."

"That's not entirely my fault."

He backed away from her until he was against the counter, next to the espresso machine.

"What we do in private is our business, Castle. I don't care how much that one victory meant to you."

"Victory?"

"The war isn't over yet."

He furrowed his brow. "War?" Then his shoulders fell in realization. "Oh, waaar." His lips and eyes crinkled at their corners. "Still bitter in defeat?"

"No," she said through clenched teeth. She still couldn't believe that he had flashed her and it had worked.

"Did I forget to mention you look sexy when you're all competitive?"

"And you look..." She pulled down his collar and smiled at the faint stains of blue ink. "Are you wearing my cover up?"

His expression fell even, "No. I have my own."

She brought her thumb up to his cheek and started to rub until some more blue ink could be seen. "So which cookie jar was it?"

"The one with the boobie trap in it, and not he Jessica Rabbit kind."

"Ah, the hollowed out Nikki Heat book with my fake battle plans in them. Learn your lesson?"

"I've showered three times and it won't come off."

She gave him a pat on the cheek. "You're so predictable."

"I'm Mr. Unpredictable."

"Sure you are." She gave a quick look to make sure they were secluded enough before sliding her arms around his waist, plucking her fingers along his belt loops as if they were strings on her guitar.

His hands gripped her hips and pulled her towards him. "Two can play at this game."

"Two people already are."

He gave her a quick kiss and removed one of his hands. "Looking for these?" He dangled the papers overhead. "You'll see them when...when we're...when I'm ready."

"I thought you were born ready?" She pulled away from him and started to make her coffee. He nudged her shoulder for her to scoot over so he could make it for her. Soon a warm cup of coffee was in her hand. They both leaned against the counter, shoulder to shoulder.

"I missed you this morning and last night," he said.

She resisted the urge to just fall right into his arms and let the rest of the world ooze away. They both had lost time between them, and somethings were sacrificed. "Too many rain checks."

He gave a shrug of his shoulders in understanding. "You caught the guy and I got Gina off my back. Win-win."

She put down her coffee, faced him, and started to fiddle with the front of his jacket. "So what did I miss last night? Dinner? Dancing? Cuffs?"

After a few wordless moments, she looked into his eyes and it was waiting for her.

For a fraction of time, somewhere between a split and a second, everything stilled; her breath hitched as her heart fluttered towards him. He would hold it in his hands and kiss it with the love of a friend, a partner, a lover and a promise that out of the millions of hearts beating elsewhere, this is the one he wanted the most. The one he never wanted to break.

Though instantaneous, the intensity of this one look had gotten worse over the last couple of months, since Paris. Then again, maybe it had always been there. Now they were closer to defining it.

He leaned down for a quick kiss. She grabbed his lapels and made it a lingering one—a rarity in the precinct.

"Kate?"

Her name skittered between them. She looked into his eyes and waited. Words built up at the back of his eyes, stayed there, then were replaced with different ones.

"Your Dad is coming to dinner on Sunday," he said, followed by a quick smile.

"He comes over almost every Sunday."

"Right. I know. I started the tradition."

Kate cocked her head to the side and studied him. "Castle, are you all right?"

"Yes. Why? Do you think you could get the weekend off?"

Lanie's words jumped back into focus for a moment. "I don't know. Why?"

"Because I love you and I want you all to myself."

The smooth flavours of love steeped into her senses like every cup of coffee he had ever given her. "I'll ask. Happy?"

"Deliriously." He gave her a final kiss before adding, "See you at home, and I promise I won't flash you this time."

Kate watched him walk away—an action both loved and hated all at once. She made her way back to her desk and saw Gates shake a little black book at Ryan and Esposito. Whatever Gates said to them, it wasn't enough, because they left her office with smug smiles directed at Beckett.

"Gates wants to see you," Ryan said.

Beckett entered her Captain's office. "Sir?"

Gates closed the black book and threw it in her top drawer, then leaned back in her chair. "I wanted to tell you that you worked well on this last case. Your whole team did."

"Even Castle?"

A hint of a smile touched Gates' lips. Only a hint. "I'm giving you the weekend off."

Kate's mouth fell wide. "I'm sorry? But did you just-"

"Go home. Get some rest."

"I have paper-"

"Detectives Ryan and Esposito will take care of your paper work." Gates waved her hand towards the door, "I don't want to see you in here until Monday."

Kate walked out of the Captain's office and straight to Ryan's desk, where the two detectives were pretending to do paperwork.

"You have two seconds to tell me what's going on."

"We are doing your paper work," Esposito said.

"You hate paper work."

He shifted in his seat, but his gaze held strong. She turned to Ryan, who held his files in front of his face, pretending to read. Kate pulled the top of the file and found his blue eyes staring at her.

"Did you get the weekend off?" he asked.

"Why does everyone seem to care about that?"

"Not everyone," Esposito said, "Karpowski and the guys in booking would be happier if it was next weekend."

She glared at him.

"Beckett," Ryan's tone was soft. "You've covered for me for weeks and I got to spend more time with Sam and Jenny. Let me do this for you." Ryan put on his best puppy-dog face and she couldn't resist.

She nodded. "That explains you, but not you." Kate pointed to Javi.

"Lanie told me to."

Kate placed her hands on the desk and leaned in towards him. "So this has nothing to do with what you were planning with Castle earlier and that little black book?"

Esposito stood. "Beckett, we're not going to lie to you." He grabbed Ryan by the arm and walked away.

Beckett swiveled towards her desk and ignored the glances from the rest of her coworkers. She grabbed her coat, and the duffel back she had hidden underneath her desk. Kate peered inside of it, taking inventory of what she had and needed to get.

There was something else to this bet and there was only one person who could clear that up and she knew where he lived.

And... she knew how to make him talk.


	2. Part II

Disclaimer: This is not for profit, but for entertainment purposes only. All rights to **Castle** belong to Andrew Marlowe and ABC.

Dedication: to my readers. Butterbeers for all of you! Except for AC, she just can't hold her butterbeer.

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PART II

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Spurred on by annoyance and bruised ego, Kate sifted through her duffel bag. Castle had anticipated her moves again. She couldn't track down her father. She did receive a message from him saying he would see her on Sunday. Her father's voice had been guarded, almost as if someone had coached him.

Add her father's avoidance to the behavior of everyone else, and Kate knew she had a bunch of circumstantial evidence. She needed proof.

And she would get it along with victory. Their four month laser battle would end tonight.

Kate finished dressing and shoved a pair of ear plugs in her pocket. She edged closer to the door and gently pulled down the handle. Kneeling, Kate pulled out a small mirror from her duffle bag and angled it through the cracked door.

There were blue lights coming from every cranny of the apartment. From the piano and guitar area, dining room, kitchen, to the closet beside the front door; he had placed decoy glow sticks everywhere. It looked like he moved some of the furniture as well. She hoped he didn't notice the bedroom locks.

She moved her hand and spanned the rest of the living space, trying to decipher which neon blue lights belonged to him.

As she pulled the mirror back, she heard his voice near the bedroom alcove to the right.

"I can't really talk right now," Castle whispered, "She'll be home any...she what? No-no, Jim, that's fine. Yes, don't worry, Alexis is arriving tonight and she will help while mother takes Kate shopping. And until then I'll distract her with my-...-yes sir, I will not finish that sentence." There was a long pause before Castle spoke again, "I know, especially with Ryan and Esposito helping you dispose of my body." It was followed with a soft chuckle. "I'm surprised she hasn't figured it out too...I'll see you Sunday-"

Kate grabbed her coat and burst through the door in a blaze of purple neon lights.

He let out a squeak of shock as she flung her coat at him as he jumped out from the bedroom alcove. The coat muffled his movements for a brief moment before she saw his blinking blue lights again.

Kate sprinted to the kitchen and slid around the island. Her chest heaved. Adrenaline stampeded through her veins. She could hear the soft thuds of his shoes and the rustle of her coat hitting the floor.

"So...how was your day?" he asked.

"Fine. Yours?"

"Got to make-out with a woman in the precinct break room."

"Must have been life changing," she said.

Castle chuckled as Kate crawled to the island in the middle of the kitchen. She peered over the counter. He was crouched by the dining room table now; his chest blinking trails of blue. Kate peered into the living room. He had moved the chairs so the only way out: right in front of him.

"Since you have fallen for my dubious trap, would you like to surrender now? Alexis will understand. You did try your best."

Her laser gear was a gift from Alexis and Kate had promised to defeat Castle in battle. "You haven't seen my best yet."

Kate bolted around the island. Shots scattered, _pew-pew-peeeewyuuuming_ everywhere. She dove over the couch, tucked, rolled; her feet hit the floor with graceful patter— just missing the coffee table.

The flashes of blue glow sticks made her reactions jumbled and she ended up behind the pillar instead of going into the office. Damn, he was good at this.

He had moved to the pillar to the left of the office door. "Did you just dive over the couch?" His voice dripped in awe over what she had just done.

"You like that?" She tried to catch her breath.

"I say we call an armistice so I can show you how much."

She eyed the office door. "Start undressing then."

"Are you sure? You'll get distracted like last time."

Kate suppressed the idea of his naked body gleaming in the lights from his vest and then the feeling of his hands and mouth on her body. "Lose the pants. Now."

"Quickie it is."

She heard him unbuckle, unzip, and a whoosh of fabric hit the floor. Kate spun around the pillar, gun drawn for attack.

His feet tangled in his pants and he fell behind the pillar for cover.

With bought time, she ran into their office. Kate smiled when she reached their bedroom door. He hadn't notice the switched the locks.

Kate scurried back to the office door and stopped. Under her desk was a box with Alexis' vest in it. Castle must be getting it ready for his daughter's return. Kate looped it around her arms as a shield. She moved towards the door and heard him mumbling. She lurched forward, shot a few rounds and slid behind the pillar once again.

"The pants thing was low," he said.

"No lower than you conspiring with my father. With everyone."

He sighed and she knew it was in mild defeat. "Conspiring is different from planning."

"Accomplice and suspect, is what it sounds like."

"And it is driving you nuts that you can't figure it out," he teased.

His words skidded along her ego, gaining gravel burn. She turned Alexis' green vest on and spun around the pillar. Kate banked off the coffee table, leaping towards him.

_Pew-pew-peeeyuuuum. _

He stumbled back towards the alcove at her looming form.

_Pewyuuuum. Pewyuuuum_.

He hit her shield before ducking in the alcove. "Mwhahahahahahah! Four months of sexy, rough and titillating battles, and I won!"

"Are you finished?" she asked, catching a glimpse of him doing a victory dance.

"Not yet. Let me get my phone so I can document this win."

"What win?"

He peered around the corner and his face fell. Kate dangled Alexis vest from behind the pillar before lobbing it on the chair.

"Where is your honour?"

She snorted. "Says the man with the decoy glow sticks."

"You bent the rules first." He raced into their bedroom. Kate followed and locked the door from the outside. Now he was locked in the bedroom. Finally, she had him right where she wanted him. She placed her ear against the door and heard him run to the other door and jiggle it. "DRAT!"

"Since you have fallen into my dubious trap, would you like to surrender now?" she asked.

'NEVER! You still have to come and face your destiny, Detective!" Kate heard furniture moving from within the room.

"Forts won't save you now," she muttered to herself.

As Kate made her way out of the alcove, the front door opened.

"Kate! Look who I found at the airport. I barely recognized her," Martha said.

Alexis rushed forward and wrapped her arms around Kate. Alexis skyped at least once a week, but it didn't seem like enough. The young girl looked wonderful and worldly; shorter hair, more refined style. A semester in Paris had suited her. Kate blinked a few times and resisted the urge to hug Alexis again.

"I see we have interrupted a battle. The tie breaker," Martha stated as she removed her coat.

"You are winning, right?" Alexis asked.

"I have him right where I want him." Kate gestured towards the bedroom door.

Alexis looked in the alcove. "You switched the locks?" The young woman bowed her head. "The student has passed the master."

"How about some dinner?" Martha asked.

"As soon as I shoot your son."

"Wonderful! Come on Alexis, it's been so long since I have cooked for you. I have a new recipe to try."

"Can't wait, Grams." Alexis gave Kate a look before adding, "If you want to lure him out, tell him I have a few piercings and a tattoo. He has been insufferably cocky over his wins, so I think you need to make him suffer."

"A lifetime's worth," Kate said.

Alexis' eyes went wide. "You mean he...but he said Sunday was-"

Martha came rushing forward, "Ah! Alexis, finish telling me about that French boy you were telling me about."

"What about Sunday?" Kate asked.

The two redheads looked at each other. "Your Dad's coming for dinner," Martha said before dragging Alexis to the kitchen.

Kate gritted her teeth in frustration as she made her way into their office. What was she missing? What could he be planning for her...Kate's steps faltered as her hand reached the lock.

A sliver of truth slid into the back of her mind. Her Dad. The bet. Alexis arriving early. Castle planning. Esposito and Ryan's brotherly looks. Castle's nervousness and that look he kept giving her. Gates giving her the weekend off. Lanie saying 'yes' to...

"Was that Alexis?" His booming voice jolted her thoughts into battle mode again.

"You should come out and see her. Her nose ring looks great." She unlocked the door, pulled the ear plugs from her pocket, then plucked the remote she had hidden in the books beside the door.

"That's not funny."

"Then I won't tell you about her tattoo. Do you know who Noah is or was it Logan? Paul?"

"Psychological warfare. You are a worthy adversary."

"It was her idea."

"I never approved of you two bonding," he said.

Kate smiled despite herself and swung the door open. "Are you ready for a little mood music?"

"Barry White?"

With her earplugs in place, Kate pressed the remote. The Psycho shower theme music coursed around their bedroom.

Kate sprinted to the bed and huddled into position. Across the room, near their dresser, Castle squatted in his fort.

She turned off the music, popped out her ear plugs and trained her gun on his location.

"Ready to give up?" she asked.

"What?" he yelled from his fort.

"Unplug your ears!"

"I'm a soooo remembering that music thing. It's almost as good as my fort."

Kate regarded his handy work. It consisted of the bed comforter draped over two chairs, with couch cushions stacked in front of it. There were small tiny slats near the top where a glow of green could be seen.

"It's an architectural marvel." She started to study how best to destroy it.

"I know. Sexy too. And room for two. Just gotta get you out of that laser gear."

"I'm not flashing you."

"Why not? I flashed you just a few moments ago."

"No. I conned you out of your pants."

"That's not how I'm going to tell the story."

"If you even think of telling anyone, I'll-"

Something caught the corner of her eye. A stack of papers partially stuffed between the mattresses. She pulled them out and spread them on the bed. "Look what fell out of your pocket?"

Castle burst out from his fort and tried to get them from her, but he was too late.

Realization hit.

The papers he had been scouring over with Ryan and Esposito weren't battle plans for their laser game, but they were plans on how to catch her. Different locations. 'X's' where everyone would be standing. The time. The date. The weather needed to pull it off. A stack of plans with the same end game.

Her saying 'yes'.

Kate sat on the bed and held one of the papers up. "A helicopter and grappling hooks?"

He sat down beside her on the bed. "James Bond theme. I planned for every situation."

A soft laugh escaped her lips as he started to attach stories to to the rest of the plans. "I was going to have the whole interrogation room decked out. It was Ryan and Espo's favorite because they wanted to watch from the other room. Even Gates approved it."

"She didn't."

"She won the bet too. She said you would figure it out before I could propose. She's rooting for us."

Kate gave him a look.

"She's a closet romantic." He looked at the plan again. "It's where you first interrogated me."

"I remember." She noted that the date was for last night; the night she had to cancel their date.

"I'm glad I didn't do this one though. Too much like Ryan and Jenny. It didn't feel right. None of these other ones did. I thought about your Dad's cabin, where I had asked you to move in with me a year ago. Then I thought Remy's. Lanie loved that one. She wanted to be in the booth next to us so she could immediately say yes to being your bridesmaid and take pictures of the moment."

All the odd behavior from her friends fell like confetti in her mind as Kate sifted through a few more plans. Her breath hitched and her vision blurred over the last one in the stack.

It was her rooftop garden that he had built for her. A space on this building all her own; something he felt she needed when she gave up her apartment to move in here with him. Kate noted the date on the plan. Sunday. This Sunday night under an array of twinkle lights, surrounded by the flowers she had grown.

"This was the one I settled on. I don't know if it is the right one. I wanted it to be intimate. Just you and me. I also wanted your Dad here waiting with my Mom and Alexis, you know, just in case you said 'no'."

"You think I'll say 'no'?"

"Are you?"

"I haven't heard a question to answer yet."

The weight on the bed shifted and Castle walked to the dresser. She watched him remove the false bottom of his drawer. He returned with a silk bag with a woven drawstring. Castle opened it and held it up to her. It was simple in design with indented diamonds and light changing sapphires, alternating across the top of the band in a row of six.

She recognized it immediately.

"Paris. Alexis told you."

"I was late for our dinner at the bistro and I saw you go into the jewelry store with her. You tried it on and the look on your face...I knew and so did Alexis. We went back the next day and I got it."

Marrying him was not a fleeting desire. She put it at the back of her mind, thinking that with all the changes happening that it might not have been the right time. Now, she realized that maybe she was doing the waiting this time. Waiting for him to know that he was ready to go down this road again for a third time.

"I can wait until Sunday, if you want. So I can make it perfect."

Kate looked around the room; it was a disaster. They were both sweaty, tired and ruffed up from the laser game. Both their chests blinked trials of neon lights and...so what? Her relationship with Castle wasn't perfect. Nothing was. They fought. They made up. They argued. They laughed. They cried. All the little and grand things that had happened were a jumbled experience of a wondrous life with him—a man she loved.

"Even the best laid plans can't account for the romance and intimacy of lasers," she said.

Castle let out the breath he had been holding and pulled her to her feet. "Kate..." His words formed at the back of his eyes and finally made it out, "I've loved you for so long, and you've never given me any reason to doubt it, but I need to know...out of the millions you could choose from, out of the many that would gladly be standing before you, am I the one? Your one?"

Seconds split and her heart fluttered. His eyes and touch told her of his heart's journey: the twists, the bridges, the dead ends, until he finally found his way to her. She took off her laser glasses and his, then cupped his cheek with her hand. "I'm done looking, Castle. I have been done for a while. So, yes."

He wrapped his arms around her and rested his forehead against hers. "Yes-yes?"

"The answer will always be 'yes'."

He pulled back, slid the ring on her finger and swooped her up in a hug, whispering words that she never got tired of hearing. She returned them after a deep and promising kiss that this marriage would last.

"Dad? Kate?" Martha and Alexis poked their heads in the doorway, turning the main lights on.

"Really, Darlings. Enough is enough."

"Did you get him?" Alexis asked.

Rick and Kate looked at each other. Then at each other's glowing vests. Their eyes streaked with passion and a shared competitiveness. Both of them bolted back. Kate was faster and shot him in the chest.

_Puh-puh-puh-peeewyuuuumm._

His vest went out, but his smile remained.

Kate held up her hand, garnering gasps of approval from the other women.

"Yeah..." She beamed, "I got him."

* * *

End

* * *

Thank you so much for reading. It is an absolute pleasure to share my work with you.

Until next we meet.

Cheers,  
Rini :D


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